2008 Bowman Chrome Clint Robinson

Who is this? Northwest Arkansas Naturals first baseman Clint Robinson
What is this? An autographed card from the 2008 Bowman Chrome set
Where'd I get it? From Zach, who probably got it signed at a Kansas City Royals fanfest event or a minor league game.


Why is this so special? The Royals selected Robinson in the 25th round of the 2007 draft. He has progressed through the Kansas City farm system and had a solid year in AA in 2010, hitting 29 home runs for the Naturals and finishing with a 1.035 OPS.

Aside from the angle, Robinson's autograph looks just like the facsimile signature on the card.

2003 Bowman Chrome Chris Colton

Who is this? Wichita Wingnuts & Joliet Jackhammers outfielder Chris Colton
What is this? An autographed card from the 2003 Bowman Chrome set
Where'd I get it? From Zach, who probably got it signed at a Northern League or American Association game this year.


Why is this so special? Chris Colton was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the 15th round of the 2001 draft. He made his pro debut with the Everett Aqua Sox in 2002. Colton remained in the Mariners' organization into the 2007 season, but he never advanced past A-ball. Since then, he's played independent baseball. It's a bit surprising that he was included in a Bowman set.

Like yesterday's featured player, Colton's autograph is basically his initials... at least he added his uniform number.

2010 Bowman Chrome Michael Brantley

Who is this? Cleveland Indians outfielder Michael Brantley
What is this? An autograph card from the 2010 Bowman set
Where'd I get it? A friend gave me the redemption card since he didn't want to bother with it. Eight to 12 weeks later, TriStar sent me my signed card from Topps.


Why is this so special? I don't buy many packs, so redemptions are still somewhat novel to me. Plus you can't turn down a free card.

Michael Brantley is the son of former major league outfielder Mickey Brantley. The Cleveland Indians chose him out of high school in the 7th round of the 2005 draft. He put up solid numbers at every level in the minors, and has gotten a few chances to fill in at the major league level over the past two seasons.

Brantley is hitting .260 /.307 / .320 with 3 home runs, 32 RBI and 14 SB in 94 major league games. He does need to get on base more often, but there's still time for him to develop - he's only 23.

Brantley's autograph isn't pretty, but it does look like he signed his full name instead of initials or random scribbles.

2004 Bowman Chrome Josh Wahpepah

Who is this? Kansas City T-Bones pitcher Josh Wahpepah
What is this? An autographed card from the 2004 Bowman Chrome set
Where'd I get it? From Zach, who probably got it signed at a T-Bones game


Why is this so special? Josh Wahpepah is a fun name. The Milwaukee Brewers selected him in the third round of the 2004 draft, but he never got past AA ball. His record in Minor League Baseball was 28-28 with a 4.23 ERA.

This year, Wahpepah ended up in independent baseball, pitching for the Kansas City T-Bones. I'd like to tell you how he did, but the T-Bones website didn't want to show me any stats when I was writing this.

Wahpepah signed his initials... I'm not sure if that was because of the available space on the card or if it's a normal time-saving move.

2008 Bowman Chrome Brian Barton

Who is this? Former St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Brian Barton

What is this? An autographed card from the 2008 Bowman Chrome set

Where'd I get it? Barton signed it for me before today's exhibition game between the Bridgeport Bluefish and Newark Bears

How much did it cost? I'm not sure where I got the card

Why is this so special? Brian Barton came up through the Cleveland Indians system, but he didn't make it to the big leagues with them. He was selected in the Rule V draft by the St. Louis Cardinals following the 2007 season.

Barton spent 2008 in the majors, hitting .268 with two home runs and 13 RBI in limited duty. He was traded to Atlanta in 2009, but spent most of the year in the minors.  This year, he was in spring training with the Dodgers, but he got released at the end of March. He's currently a member of the Bridgeport Bluefish in the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.

Barton's signature isn't all that pretty, but I can't complain about penmanship when a player stops to sign before a game. Besides, it doesn't look much sloppier than the facsimile signature printed on the card.